Serpent's Vow

22: Asgard

"No!"

Daniel barely heard Kawalsky's cry of dismay over the  pain and heartache he felt in his own heart. The General George Hammond  lying dead and bleeding on the floor from the second zat blast may not  be his General George Hammond, but they had the same face. If  the general of this reality was anything like the one Daniel knew and  respected, then Daniel could only imagine the pain the man's death was  causing Kawalsky.

And over nothing! He'd told the truth! He had told the truth!  As best he could. He'd tried to give a bit of background to help the  Goa'uld Apophis understand the concept of alternate realities but  obviously the damn System Lord wasn't having it.

"Kawalsky!" Jack  shouted in his best colonel voice. Reluctantly, Kawalsky slowed his  struggles. After a moment, the Jaffa holding Kawalsky in a headlock  loosened the hold to allow the airman to breathe. Daniel felt awful.

"I  will ask again," Apophis commanded, his voice echoing menacingly in  sync with his glowing eyes. "How can you raise the dead without a  sarcophagus? Where are you from?"

Fuck explanations. Apophis wanted a straight answer? Daniel would give it to him.

"An alternate reality," the archaeologist snapped. "We're from an alternate reality."

"One in which," Jack added, giving in to his incessant need to taunt any and all Goa'uld, "by the way, you're dead."

Apophis' eyes flashed an angry gold and Daniel collapsed to the floor writhing from the stinging blast of a zat.

"Oh, come on!" Daniel heard Kawalsky cry over the sparking pain. "He told you everything he knows!"

"It's the truth, okay?!" Jack shouted. "You don't have to believe us, but it's the truth!"

"Your lies," Apophis hissed venomously, "tell me nothing. If you will not explain your magic, then you are of no use to me."

"Magic isn't real!" Jack insisted through gritted teeth as he helped Daniel back up to his knees.

Daniel  leaned heavily on his friend as he attempted to shrug off the lingering  tingles of pain. He still found the resolve to glare furiously at the  Goa'uld. Apophis opened his mouth to spout more nonsense when a cry from  outside the Stargate control room drew the false god's attention.

"My  lord Apophis!" a Jaffa called, rushing unceremoniously into the control  room, barely avoiding Jack, Daniel, Kawalsky, and Teal'c still kneeling  under the eager attention of several armed staff weapons. The Jaffa  paused about a yard from Apophis gasping for breath and eyes wide with  fright.

Okay, Daniel was curious.

The Jaffa gave a tardy bow of respect to the Goa'uld before straightening and rushing to speak. "Nephthys is here!"

Nephthys? Kaiba? Oh, this was going to be good. Daniel bit back a small grin.

"What?!" Apophis demanded, eyes flashing furiously. "Heru'ur has no claim here."

What?

"My  lord," the Jaffa said, stumbling over his words in his rush to explain.  "He commanded me to send you a message." Apophis sneered in derision  and the Jaffa quickly bowed, hoping to avoid the System Lord's anger  before continuing. "Nephthys said Tau'ri is his by hereditary right and  that we are the trespassers. He said if you do not withdraw  immediately, he would kill you with his bare hands." Anticipating  retaliation, the Jaffa quickly dropped to one knee and covered his eyes  in respect.

Daniel frowned and studied Apophis' expression. The  Goa'uld's dark face was regal despite the rage distorting his features.  "Heru'ur has no claim on this planet," Apophis said slowly, as if  choosing his words carefully. His lifted his chin to glare down at the  Jaffa at his feet with disdain. "Nor has he made any move to reclaim his  Queen's territory."